On Bullying

 Posted by  Crime, Disasters and Tragedies, Education  6 Responses »
Apr 012010
 

Bullying has been in the news a lot lately, unfortunately due to a teen’s suicide in a small Massachusetts town and the ensuing prosecution of some of the kids who were involved for statutory rape and civil rights violations.

That particular case is a tragedy all the way around. The behavior of the kids involved was reprehensible, and I do not doubt that it contributed to the suicide of the victim. (Although there is a difference between “contributed to” and “caused” which is often missed…) But I don’t think that charging them in criminal court as adults is the right response.
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“A Fool Does Not Delight In Understanding”

 Posted by  Education  5 Responses »
Mar 122010
 

Okay, we talked before about the Texas curriculum fiasco. To reiterate my basic belief, and my primary problem with what those people are doing: curriculum ought to be set by teachers based on the needs and interests of their students, not on the political whims of elected officials.

But after reading some of the specific recommendations and reasoning from particular school board members involved, allow me to add a few secondary points:
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Short-Sightedness and Stupidity

 Posted by  Crime, Education, Fiscal Issues, Poverty, The Media  2 Responses »
Oct 072009
 

I apologize for my extended absence. I could tell you a story about taking care of a two-year old, getting the flu, and then working on a book (all of which are true), but the greater reality is that I simply allowed myself to get out of the habit of posting here. But I’ve missed it–mostly the discussions–so I’m back now and read to rant about one of my favorite topics: the short-sightedness of fools. Ah, it’s good to be back.

A couple weeks ago, I saw on Fox & Friends (if you think the name is bad, you should see the show) a segment on Where Your Tax Dollars Are Going, or something similar. Continue reading »

My Problem With Charter Schools

 Posted by  Education  2 Responses »
Aug 182009
 

Charter schools have become extremely popular over the last decade, to the point that they are one of the few areas in education where politicians of virtually all types seem to agree. After all, a charter school sounds like a great idea. Scratch that, charter schools are wonderful ideas. The idea is that the state grants particular charters to individual schools that exempt them from many state and local regulations, including usually having to answer to local school boards. The idea is that the freedom should allow them to tailor themselves to the educational needs of whatever community they are serving, not to mention that it frees them from the overhead of union contracts, mandatory curricula, etc. that can bog down traditional public schools. It’s a wonderful idea. It’s such a wonderful idea that it can’t possibly last. Let me explain.
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Why We Game The System

 Posted by  Education  1 Response »
Aug 122008
 

Check out this article written by Judith Warner, who writes for the New York Times mostly on family and gender issues. I found it to be an extremely thought provoking piece on the lack of compassion that many upper-middle class suburbanites feel towards the truly needy. In particular, I found the following passage to be pretty typical of a phenomenon I’ve witnessed many times:
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